Warriors to give Draymond Green “some time off”

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Golden State Warriors' Draymond Green, left, listens to coach Steve Kerr during the second half of an NBA basketball game against the Houston Rockets Thursday, Nov. 15, 2018, in Houston. The Rockets won 107-86. (AP Photo/David J. Phillip)

Golden State Warriors' Kevin Durant (35) talks with Draymond Green after a turnover during the second half of an NBA basketball game against the Houston Rockets Thursday, Nov. 15, 2018, in Houston. (AP Photo/David J. Phillip)

Golden State Warriors forward Kevin Durant, right, reacts as he fouls out of the game while forward Draymond Green, left, and guard Andre Iguodala look on during the overtime portion of an NBA basketball game against the Los Angeles Clippers Monday, Nov. 12, 2018, in Los Angeles. The Clippers won 121-116 in overtime. (AP Photo/Mark J. Terrill)

Golden State Warriors' Stephen Curry (30) and Draymond Green (23) celebrate after Curry made a basket before the start of their basketball game against the Minnesota Timberwolves at Oracle Arena in Oakland, Calif., on Friday, Nov. 2, 2018. (Doug Duran/Bay Area News Group)

DALLAS — The Warriors and Draymond Green have agreed it is best for him not to play. No, the Warriors maintain this is not another twist in the aftermath of his spat with Kevin Durant. Instead, the Warriors have reported that Green continues to feel pain in his right toe and right foot.

“We decided to give him some time off,” Warriors coach Steve Kerr said. “We don’t know how long it will be. But the toe [injury] has been lingering.”

Therefore, the Warriors (12-4) have sidelined Green for Saturday’s game against the Dallas Mavericks (6-8). Kerr added that Green will “probably” also sit on Sunday against the San Antonio Spurs. Green had previously missed two games last week against Milwaukee and Brooklyn after injuring his right toe and foot against Memphis. After logging 43 minutes in an overtime loss on Monday against the Los Angeles Clippers, Green served a team-imposed one-game suspension on Tuesday against Atlanta for disparaging Durant during a huddle after regulation against the Clippers.

Green had joked his suspension helped his recovery. But Kerr played Green only 24 minutes on Thursday against Houston, where he went scoreless, missed all three shot attempts and logged five rebounds and five assists.

“He felt, we felt and our training staff felt we are spinning our wheels a little bit if we keep playing him and he gets a little worse,” Kerr said. “We’ve got to get him better.”

The Warriors’ training room has become crowded. The Warriors ruled out wingman Alfonzo McKinnie because of a sore left foot, and have recalled Damion Lee and Marcus Derrickson from their G-League team in Santa Cruz.

Warriors guard Stephen Curry also will miss at least four more games because of a strained left groin that has already sidelined him for the past four contests. Warriors center DeMarcus Cousins has stayed out with an injured left Achilles tendon. Although Cousins’ return is “not exactly imminent,” Kerr said that Cousins has played in games of 3-on-3 every day without any setbacks.

Kerr added Curry and Warriors Director of Sports Medicine and Performance Rick Celebrini told him that Curry’s recovery is “heading in the right direction.” He spent the end of Saturday’s morning shootaround completing a light shooting workout with Warriors assistant coach Bruce Fraser.

“Steph is getting better every day and made a good jump the last couple of days in terms of his symptoms,” Kerr said. “He’s doing a little bit more each day with Rick.”

Because of all of those injuries, Kerr said he cannot afford to rest veterans Shaun Livingston or Andre Igudaoala either on Saturday against Dallas or on Sunday against San Antonio. After all, the Warriors have lost three of their last five games and fell to Houston on Thursday by 21 points. In the past three games, neither Durant nor Warriors guard Klay Thompson have shot efficiently. Durant has gone a combined 40 percent from the field, while Thompson has shot 39.3 percent overall.

“We’ll find it and will get there,” Kerr said. “It starts with competing, cutting hard and playing hard and playing together. We’ve been doing that for years. We have to get back to the basics.”